Portal:Philippines

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Welcome to the Philippines Portal / Maligayang pagdating sa Portal ng Pilipinas

The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. In the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of 7,641 islands, with a total area of 300,000 square kilometers, which are broadly categorized in three main geographical divisions from north to south: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The Philippines is bounded by the South China Sea to the west, the Philippine Sea to the east, and the Celebes Sea to the south. It shares maritime borders with Taiwan to the north, Japan to the northeast, Palau to the east and southeast, Indonesia to the south, Malaysia to the southwest, Vietnam to the west, and China to the northwest. It is the world's twelfth-most-populous country, with diverse ethnicities and cultures. Manila is the country's capital, and its most populated city is Quezon City. Both are within Metro Manila.

Negritos, the archipelago's earliest inhabitants, were followed by waves of Austronesian peoples. The adoption of Animism, Hinduism with Buddhist influence, and Islam established island-kingdoms ruled by datus, rajas, and sultans. Extensive overseas trade with neighbors such as the late Tang or Song empire brought Chinese people to the archipelago as well, which would also gradually settle in and intermix over the centuries. The arrival of Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer leading a fleet for Castile, marked the beginning of Spanish colonization. In 1543, Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos named the archipelago Las Islas Filipinas in honor of King Philip II of Castile. Spanish colonization via New Spain, beginning in 1565, led to the Philippines becoming ruled by the Crown of Castile, as part of the Spanish Empire, for more than 300 years. Catholic Christianity became the dominant religion, and Manila became the western hub of trans-Pacific trade. Hispanic immigrants from Latin America and Iberia would also selectively colonize. The Philippine Revolution began in 1896, and became entwined with the 1898 Spanish–American War. Spain ceded the territory to the United States, and Filipino revolutionaries declared the First Philippine Republic. The ensuing Philippine–American War ended with the United States controlling the territory until the Japanese invasion of the islands during World War II. After the United States retook the Philippines from the Japanese, the Philippines became independent in 1946. The country has had a tumultuous experience with democracy, which included the overthrow of a decades-long dictatorship in a nonviolent revolution.

The Philippines is an emerging market and a newly industrialized country, whose economy is transitioning from being agricultural to service- and manufacturing-centered. It is a founding member of the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, ASEAN, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, and the East Asia Summit; it is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement and a major non-NATO ally of the United States. Its location as an island country on the Pacific Ring of Fire and close to the equator makes it prone to earthquakes and typhoons. The Philippines has a variety of natural resources and a globally-significant level of biodiversity. (Full article...)

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Mount Pinatubo crater lake in 2012

Mount Pinatubo is an active stratovolcano in the Zambales Mountains, located on the tripoint boundary of the Philippine provinces of Zambales, Tarlac and Pampanga, all in Central Luzon on the northern island of Luzon. Most people were unaware of its eruptive history before the pre-eruption volcanic activity in early 1991. Dense forests, which supported a population of several thousand indigenous Aetas, heavily eroded and obscured Pinatubo.

Pinatubo is known for its VEI-6 eruption on June 15, 1991, the second-largest terrestrial eruption of the 20th century after the 1912 eruption of Novarupta in Alaska. The eruption coincided with the arrival of Typhoon Yunya, which brought a dangerous mix of ash and rain to nearby towns and cities. Early predictions led to the evacuation of tens of thousands of people, saving many lives. The eruption severely damaged surrounding areas with pyroclastic surges, pyroclastic falls, and later, flooding lahars caused by rainwater re-mobilizing volcanic deposits. This destruction affected infrastructure and altered river systems for years. Minor dome-forming eruptions inside the caldera continued from 1992 to 1993. (Full article...)

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... that Regine Velasquez, a Filipino singer and actress, was the first Asian artist to stage a solo concert at the Carnegie Hall in New York City?
... that Michael Barredo campaigned for Filipino athletes competing in disabled sports to receive government incentives?
... that three songs from Kyla's album Not Your Ordinary Girl were nominated in the same category at the 2005 Awit Awards?
... that the Filipino musician No Rome took his stage name from people doubting his career choice?
... that staff members of the Embassy of the Philippines to the Holy See would stack rosaries by the windows so they could be blessed by the Pope?
... that VMB-611 was the only United States Marine Corps bombing squadron to operate in the Philippines during World War II?
... that Chicago's Kasama is the world's first Filipino restaurant to be awarded a Michelin star?
... that the sound for the film A Rustling of Leaves: Inside the Philippine Revolution was recorded using a Walkman?

Selected picture

Image 1A skyline view of Manila
Image 2A selection of dishes found in Filipino cuisine
Image 3Banaue, Philippines: A man of the fugao tribe in traditional costume
Image 4The Bangui Wind Farm is a wind farm in Bangui, Ilocos Norte, Philippines
Image 5A view at Francisco Bangoy International Airport, 2019
Image 6Shipping on the Pasig River, 1899
Image 7A map of the Philippines showing the location of all the regions and provinces
Image 8Picture of a Carabao in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Philippines
Image 9A leaning belfry of St. Andrew Church, in Bacarra town, province of Ilocos Norte
Image 10A view of Barlas Island, Honda Bay, Palawan, Philippines
Image 11Banaue, Philippines: a view of Banaue Municipal Town

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Things you can do

Go to the Tambayan (Philippine WikiProject) and help out with articles.

You can join one or more of the various task forces within the WikiProject.

If you are a Filipino, consider adding Category:Filipino Wikipedians to your userpage.

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Imelda Romuáldez Marcos (locally [ɪˈmelda ˈmaɾkɔs]; born Imelda Remedios Visitación Trinidad Romuáldez; July 2, 1929) is a Filipino politician who was First Lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, wielding significant political power after her husband Ferdinand Marcos placed the country under martial law in September 1972. She is the mother of current president Bongbong Marcos.

During her husband's 21-year rule, Imelda Marcos ordered the construction of many grandiose architectural projects, using public funds and "in impossibly short order" – a propaganda practice, which eventually came to be known as her "edifice complex". She and her husband stole billions of pesos from the Filipino people, amassing a personal fortune estimated to have been worth US$5 billion to US$10 billion by the time they were deposed in 1986; by 2018, about $3.6 billion of this had been recovered by the Philippine government, either through compromise deals or sequestration cases. (Full article...)

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General images

The following are images from various Philippines-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1The Sinulog Festival is held to commemorate the Santo Niño (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 2Filipino traditional dance at a festival (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 3Original image of the Santo Niño de Cebú. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 4Filipina in traditional attire (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 5A performer depicting a babaylan (shaman) (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 6Manny Pacquiao, the only 8-division world boxing champion in history. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 7Flores de Mayo (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 8The University of Santo Tomas, located in Manila, was established in 1611. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 9Noli Me Tángere (novel) (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 10Villa Escudero exhibit depicting 19th century Filipino family in traditional attire (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 11Parol (Christmas lanterns) being sold during the Christmas season (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 12A Tboli woman weaving t'nalak from South Cotabato. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 13Bahay na bato, a traditional Filipino house (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 14Vega Ancestral House, Misamis Oriental (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 15A grandmaster of Arnis. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 16Kalesa, a traditional Philippine urban transportation, in front of Manila Cathedral entrance (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 17Carabao is a major symbol of Filipinos hard labor. And is known to be the "Filipino farmer's bestfriend". (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 18Old Senate Hall with Estilo Tampinco style of carving and ornamentation (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 19The MassKara Festival of Bacolod. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 20Dominant ethnic groups by province. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 21Vigan City in Ilocos Sur (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 22The Kutkut art from Samar (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 23Museum Agrifina Circle (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 24Loboc Church in Bohol (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 25Mila del Sol starred in one of the earliest Filipino movies, Giliw Ko (1939), along with Fernando Poe Sr. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 26Letras y figuras painting by Jose Honorato Lozano (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 27Pahiyas Festival in Lucban Quezon (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 28A PBA game at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 29Cockfight (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 30Aguinaldo Shrine in Cavite (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 31Paoay Church in Ilocos Norte (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 32Tortoise-shell and silver Salakot (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 33Sungka, a traditional Filipino game. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 34Harana (serenade) (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 35Pineapple fiber is used to create traditional Philippine garments. (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 36Good Friday observance in Pampanga (from Culture of the Philippines)
Image 37An Itneg shaman offering pigs to anito spirits, 1922 (from Culture of the Philippines)

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In the news

20 May 2024 – 19th Congress of the Philippines: Migz Zubiri resigns as President of the Senate of the Philippines and is replaced by Francis Escudero. (KPL/VNA)
30 April 2024 – China–Philippines relations: China's coast guard expels a Philippine Coast Guard ship and another vessel from the waters near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. (Reuters)
29 April 2024 – ISIL insurgency in the Philippines: Five Dawla Islamiya militants are killed and three soldiers are wounded during two shootouts in Munai, Lanao del Norte, Philippines. The military were hunting the group's leader, Nasser Daud, who however escaped from the scene. (MindaNews)
28 April 2024 –: The Philippines announces that it will close all schools on Monday and Tuesday, due to an extreme heat wave currently affecting the country. (The Straits Times)

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More did you know - show different entries

...that the Arch of the Centuries (pictured) of the University of Santo Tomas at Manila was disassembled from the University's original campus at Intramuros, carried piece-by-piece, and was re-erected at the current campus at Sampaloc?
... that despite sweeping the elimination round of the 2007 UAAP men's basketball tournament, the University of the East was still beaten by De La Salle University-Manila 2-0 in the finals series?
...that journalist Néstor Mata was the sole survivor of the 1957 Cebu Douglas C-47 crash which killed Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay and 24 others?
... that Fernando Poe, Sr. was incorrectly identified as the model of the U.P. Oblation?